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Bitcoin Pizza Day: Memecoins Exploit Leads to Rampant Scams

May 22nd marked the 13th anniversary of a significant milestone in the history of cryptocurrency. On this day in 2010, Bitcoin was used to purchase a real-world product for the first time—an event now known as Bitcoin Pizza Day.

In an effort to promote recognition for Bitcoin, Laszlo Hanyecz, a developer and one of the earliest BTC miners, decided to spend 10,000 BTC to buy two pizzas. However, as the crypto market commemorated this historic occasion, it also witnessed the emergence of numerous memecoins, many of which turned out to be scams.

According to data from DEXTools, within the past 24 hours alone, there have been as many as 14 pizza-themed memecoins released in the market. Unfortunately, at least 4 of these coins have been involved in rug pulls or exhibited signs of investor fund theft. Additionally, around 5 projects have raised suspicions of utilizing honeypot tactics, trapping participants in a situation where they can only sell their tokens back to the contract creator.

The first memecoin on the list of rug pulls is PIZZA. Regrettably, it existed for a mere 8 minutes before the project team altered the sell tax, catching investors off guard. A total of 34 traders purchased PIZZA, resulting in losses of 0.9892 ETH (equivalent to $1,800 USD).

Following PIZZA, Bitcoin Pizza and Pizza Inu managed to swindle more than $12,000 USD from unsuspecting investors. ETHPIZZA and BPIZZA, with market caps of $40,000 USD and $100,000 USD respectively, also caused significant damages to users. In these cases, the contract creators implemented a mechanism that prevented token selling, leaving investors unable to liquidate their assets and resulting in complete loss of their capital.


BPIZZA Implements 100% Sell Tax | Source: DEXTools

There are various methods employed by fraudulent projects to deceive and defraud investors, and one of them involves modifying the sell tax within the smart contract, as mentioned earlier. When the selling tax becomes exorbitant, owners are unable to sell their assets to recover their investments.

Another common form of fraud occurs when project owners hold a majority of the tokens, waiting for prices to surge before executing a massive sell-off, depleting liquidity and causing the token price to plummet to zero.

The increasing popularity of meme coins has provided fertile ground for scammers to exploit unsuspecting investors. The allure of quick profits and the thrill of participating in the latest trend have made individuals more susceptible to falling victim to these fraudulent schemes. It is crucial for investors to exercise caution and conduct thorough research before venturing into the world of meme coins or any other speculative investment.

As the crypto market continues to evolve, regulatory bodies and industry participants must work together to establish stronger safeguards and transparency measures. Educating investors about the risks associated with meme coins and providing them with the tools to identify potential scams are essential steps in mitigating the prevalence of rug pulls and honeypot schemes.

Bitcoin Pizza Day serves as a reminder of the transformative power and potential of cryptocurrencies. However, it also serves as a cautionary tale about the dark side of the market, where opportunistic scammers seek to exploit the enthusiasm surrounding emerging trends. Only through increased vigilance and collective efforts can the crypto community strive towards a safer and more trustworthy ecosystem.

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